I Don't Need Luck, I Have You
by Eruanna17
Summary: All Branch wanted to do was pay his bills. But King's Coffee has dance parties and constant music and this insanely bouncy girl who keeps trying to be his friend. He doesn't need friends, especially not pink-haired girls who are weirdly hard to dislike. Despite what his heart says. AKA The Trolls coffee shop AU no one asked for
1. New Friends

"No amount of money is worth this." The young man muttered as he watched the mini dance party happening in King's Coffee.

"And here's your starting salary." Mr. Peppy handed him an information packet with a wide smile.

Branch stared at the paper, then mentally reviewed the list of bills back in his apartment.

"Apparently, there is an amount." Sighing heavily, he signed at the bottom.

The older man looked up. "What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Perfect! Well, let me introduce you to your mentor. Poppy! Come meet our newest employee!"

A girl with a blue dress and shockingly pink hair bounced over. "New employee?! More like, NEW FRIEND!"

Branch blinked. "Yikes."

"Poppy is our best barista. And I don't just say that because she's my little princess." Mr. Peppy smiled and patted the girl on the head.

"Aw, thanks Dad!"

 _And she's the boss's daughter. Perfect._

"Poppy, you'll be training Branch on the registers first, and then on the machines when it gets slow. Let me know if you need any help!"

"Will do, Dad, but I'm sure we'll have a great time!"

He gave her a look. "We should be training, not partying."

She beamed at him. "Same thing!"

"No it's not." Branch said as he followed her behind the counter.

"Okay, the first rule of King's Coffee is to have fun! The second rule is…" She leaned far closer to him than necessary. "To smile!"

"I don't have fun. And I don't smile. Those are terrible rules for a business."

A new voice chimed in. "Whoa. Who's the party pooper?"

Poppy looked behind her with a smile. "Oh! Of course! Let me introduce you to my friends! Guys, this is Branch."

He eyed the loud group with suspicion. "You mean, they're other employees? Or regulars?"

"Sure! This is Cooper," she pointed to a tall dark-skinned man in a cap. "He works afternoons, same as Guy Diamond. Biggie works in the bakery," (an Indian man and a large, chubby blond waved at him).

"Suki's a DJ, Satin and Chenille are designers at the fashion house around the corner, and-"

"I'm going to stop you there. How about you teach me how the register works first, and you tell me everyone's names later."

Poppy looked a little taken aback. "Oh. Um, I guess."

"Great. That way, we can actually work while at work."

"Right. Okay, first step is to make a killer playlist for training!"

Branch facepalmed. This day was going to last forever.

"And then, when it gets slow, you can work on your latte art!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Latte art?"

"Yeah! Like, little drawings in the foam! Our regulars love them."

"And what about the people who just want to get their coffee as fast as possible? How do they feel about this ten minute delay to draw a leaf?"

"They don't mind! We don't just sell coffee here, Branch, we sell love!"

"Pretty sure that's a different industry altogether." He commented as he leaned against the counter.

"It makes them feel special! Plus, I'm way faster than ten minutes. See?"

With a dramatic flourish, she presented a polka-dotted coffee mug, a pattern clear on the white foam.

She stared at him with her hands clasped under her chin, clearly waiting for his reaction.

He looked at the cup and narrowed his eyes. "What is that?"

"It's… a twig." She told him, rocking back and forth a little.

"You mean a branch?" He asked in a flat tone. "Because my name is Branch?"

"Maybe! Doesn't that make you smile?"

He grabbed the mug. "Nope," he replied, and tried to take a sip.

"Blegh!" He coughed and stuck out his tongue. "Did you put a pump of every syrup we have in here?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "It's the Poppy Special!"

"It's a cavity in a cup!"

"It's delicious!"

"It's disgusting!"

The rest of the day didn't go much better.

Branch, as the newest employee, was dutifully sweeping up after the morning rush when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye.

He froze, then waited for proof that he wasn't imagining things. A few seconds went by, and he was about to shake his head and keep cleaning when a tiny fuzzy… thing darted under one of the tables.

"Uh… Poppy."

The pink-haired girl was loudly singing "It's Gonna Be Me" as she cleaned the machines.

"Poppy. Poppy!"

"Huh?"

"What. Is that." He asked tightly, not taking his eyes off the… whatever it was.

"What's what?" She crouched down next to him and gasped loudly. "Mr. Dinkles! What are you doing here?"

As the animal scurried out from under the table to greet Poppy, Branch stepped back in distaste. "Is it a… dog? Or a really big rat?"

"It's Mr. Dinkles!" Poppy told him as if that explained everything.

Just then, Biggie crashed into the coffee shop. "Guys, has anyone seen-"

The jaundiced Chihuahua let out an asthmatic "Mew."

"Mr. Dinkles!" Biggie shouted, then rushed over to Poppy and started cuddling the small dog.

"Please tell me that you know having an animal in a coffee shop is unhygienic?" Branch pleaded.

"It's fine!" Biggie said. "He mostly sleeps under the ovens in the bakery."

"That is so much worse!"

"Branch," Poppy tried to reason with him. "Biggie loves Mr. Dinkles with his whole heart! You can't just expect him to leave the poor thing home alone all day!"

"Yes I can! This is a place that sells food! Not a doggie daycare! Does your dad know about this?"

"Of course! He loves Mr. Dinkles too!"

Branch smacked his forehead with a heavy sigh. "Of course he does."

He was assigned to work the morning shift with Poppy (of course). It honestly wasn't too bad, since the customers coming in at 5 am just wanted to get their caffeine and go about their day, and thus didn't mind Branch's terse "Order?".

The only downside was-

"GOOD MORNING! Welcome to King's Coffee, my name is Poppy and I'll get that large flat white going right away for you! Isn't this just a fantastic day?!"

"Poppy." Branch groaned, hand over his eyes. "Can you please turn it down?"

She glanced over, confused. "Turn what down?"

"Just… everything."

Blinking, Poppy pointed to the ceiling, "But it's Motown Monday!"

Ignoring the strains of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" coming from the speakers, Branch shook his head.

"Nevermind."

The bell over the door chimed and Branch turned to greet the new customer with a barely contained sigh.

"What can I-"

He was suddenly hip-checked out of the way.

"Good morning Creek! Isn't it beautiful outside?!" Poppy nearly shrieked, sounding even more excited than usual, which Branch didn't think was possible. "I can make you your usual, unless you want something different, because it's great to try new things, but there's such a comfort in having your favorite things, right?!"

Branch could hardly make out individual words within her breathless speech, but the blue-haired customer seemed to take it in stride.

"Namaste, Poppy. I've just come from the most illuminating meditation about our symbiosis with Mother Gaia."

Branch's eyebrows shot up in a mix of disbelief and disdain.

 _Great. A yoga douche. Just what the morning needed._

"And the only thing more invigorating than a sun salutation is your divine ethical, organic, fair-trade chai."

"It's still dark outside." Branch pointed out. "How can you salute something that's not even-"

"Coming right up!" Poppy interrupted, beaming at Creek as she narrowly missed running over Branch to start the machines.

Branch rolled his eyes and started cleaning the counter as Poppy labored over the drink.

"Here you go!" She announced proudly, and watched Creek eagerly as he took the cup.

"Poppy, this is the best foam forest tableau I've ever seen! Are these little birds?"

"They are! They're bluebirds, greeting the day!"

"This is a perfect complement to my spirit vision from this morning!"

"That's what I was hoping for! You really like it?!"

"I really do." He gave her an overly sweet smile and tapped her nose. "Boop!"

He bowed, then headed for the door. "Namaste, fellow Earth child."

"Hey!" Branch shouted as the door shut. "You still have to pay for that!"

"Shhh! Branch, it's fine. Creek is in here all the time, and plus, he has a morning class to teach."

"Teach? That guy?"

"Yeah! He's a great yoga instructor. We all take his evening class on Wednesdays. You should join us!"

"Never gonna happen." He told her as he cleaned the steamer.

"What? Why?! It's a great way to meet people and strengthen your core and-"

"My core is fine and I don't like meeting people."

"C'mon! How else do you make friends?"

"I don't have any friends."

The mug Poppy was holding dropped to the floor.

"WHAT?!"

Apparently, telling Poppy about his lack of friends (and interest in making them) was the wrong move. She spent the next few days telling everyone else about how he desperately needed friends, and ceaselessly inviting him to every kind of social event she could think of.

"Branch! I'm throwing a Pizza Party on Thursday, and you should come!"

"No thanks."

"Branch! Guy Diamond just had his two year work-a-versary and we're celebrating-"

"Nope."

"Branch! Satin and Chenille are having a fashion show and afterparty-"

"No way."

"Branch! It's Mr. Dinkles' birthday tomorrow-"

"Not gonna happen."

"Branch! We're-"

 _"No!"_ He bellowed, and everyone in the coffee shop turned to stare.

"Um…" Poppy looked around and smiled nervously. "We're out of cream. Can you get some from the back?"

"Oh. Uh, sure." Shaking his head as he headed back to the fridge, Branch wondered if he was being too hard on Poppy. She was probably just trying to be nice.

 _It'd be nice if she actually listened_ , his internal voice groused.

Sighing, he went to hand Poppy the carton of cream, ready to mumble a half-formed apology.

"Here. And, about… I didn't-"

"Thanks Branch! By the way, it's Cooper's recycling day, so we're all going out tonight! You coming?"

His already fraying temper snapped. "What?! For the hundredth time, no! I don't want to go to any of your parties!"

She blinked at him in surprise. "Why?"

"Why? _Why?!_ Because one, I don't care if it's Cooper's recycling day, two, that's not a reason to throw a party, and three, all your parties are giant and loud and crazy!"

Cooper and Guy Diamond, who had been hanging out until their shift started, stared at him in unison.

"But that's what makes her parties so great!" Cooper told him.

Guy Diamond nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Remember the Suki's Niece Got Her First Tooth party? That was insanely fun!"

"Yeah! We had like, two hundred people in here!"

Branch stared at them all, then practically shouted, " _These are not real reasons to-"_

The bell chimed above the door and a new voice suddenly interrupted, "Whoa, whoa, what's with all the negative auras?"

"Just when I thought this day couldn't get worse." Branch muttered as he went to refill the pastry tray.

"Branch doesn't want to go to the Recycling Day party." Cooper announced traitorously.

Guy Diamond added, "He says it's not a real reason for a party."

"It's not!"

Creek waved his hand serenely. "Now, Branch, just because you enjoy being mean to people does not give you permission to dampen everyone else's spirits."

Branch stopped suddenly. "I don't enjoy being mean to people."

Everyone stared at him.

"I don't!" He protested, realizing they didn't believe him. "I'm not a mean person."

"You yelled at an old lady earlier." Cooper pointed out.

"She was paying for three drinks in _change_! There was a line out the door!"

"You told a bunch of kids to go to the end of the line." Guy Diamond added.

"They stood there saying 'Um' for five minutes! Don't get in line if you don't know your order!"

Biggie stepped into view, cuddling his pet protectively. "You kicked Mr. Dinkles this morning."

"I didn't kick him, I tripped when he ran across- there shouldn't be a dog in the bakery!"

Poppy glanced between everyone and bit her lip as Cooper and Guy shook their heads.

Creek crossed his arms with a satisfied smirk. "How about, instead of being mean, you try some positivity! Some positivity would really go with that vest."

"I'm not… that's makes no…" Branch forced himself to unclench his fists. "I'm taking my break." He growled as he marched outside, and trying to ignore the laughter behind him.

He was attempting to calm his breathing when the back door creaked open.

"Branch?"

"What do you want, Poppy?" He asked in a flat tone.

"I wanted to see if you were okay." She ventured as she made her way over to him.

"Why do you care?" He spat out, then winced.

 _No wonder they think you enjoy being mean_ , his internal voice commented.

She sat down slowly next to him. "I care because you're my friend."

He turned to look at her, brows furrowed.

"Even if I'm not yours." The pink-haired girl added quickly.

Branch didn't know how to respond to that.

After a few moments, Poppy peeked at him. "I don't think you're a mean person."

He sighed. "I did all those things though."

"Well, yeah, but not because you like being mean. You just get frustrated sometimes."

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"You care about the people in line, and getting their drinks out on time. And you care about keeping everything clean, and Biggie promised to wash his hands before he bakes anything, especially after playing with Mr. Dinkles. That's why my dad said it was okay."

She took a breath, then continued, "I mean, I still don't get why you don't like my parties, but that's okay, I just have to find the right kind of party, with the right kind of people-"

"No people."

"Huh?"

"That's the kind of party I like."

"But how can you have a party with no people?" Poppy asked, then after a second, gave him a look. "Oh. I see. You don't like parties."

"Nope."

"Okay, we'll come back to that. The point is…" She scooched closer and bumped his shoulder. "The point is you're not a mean person. I know that, and I'm sure the other guys will figure-"

"I don't care what they think." He interrupted, then winced as he saw her stance droop.

"Oh. Okay. Well, I should go." She started towards the door, and Branch knew he had to say something.

"Poppy, wait." When she turned back, he told her, "You're wrong, you know."

Confused, she tilted her head at him.

"About not being my friend." He clarified slowly, and was rewarded by watching her whole face light up.

"Really?!"

"Really." He had a sudden thought. "Just don't tell anyone. I've got a rep to keep up."

Poppy was practically bouncing with glee. "I won't. I promise." She opened the door, then stuck her head back out. "It's pretty slow in there, so take all the time you need."

Before the door could close, he called out, "Hey."

"Yeah?" And for a moment, after looking into her eyes, seeing her smile, he couldn't speak.

"Thanks." He finally got out, and saw her small grin turn into a million-watt smile.

"Anytime, friend!"

And as the door closed, it felt like part of his chest was pulled with it. His stomach maybe? He hadn't eaten anything in awhile, but it felt higher than that. Not his lungs, or his stomach, but something in between-

His head shot up with the sudden realization that it felt like Poppy had left with his heart.

 _Ah, crap._


	2. Kintsugi

Branch hated a lot of things.

He hated it when people complained he made their drink wrong and wanted it for free.

He hated the customers who ordered a single coffee, took over two tables for hours, and left a giant mess everywhere.

He hated the pitying looks from Poppy's friends when he didn't want to go to any of her parties.

But the one thing he hated most of all was how it was impossible to hate Poppy.

Because despite the fact that everything she did, from constant party invitations to giant bear hugs to loud impromptu karaoke sessions, should annoy him, but somehow… didn't.

And then there were things she did that affected him in other ways.

"Poppy, I can barely hear myself think. Can you turn it down?" He shouted after asking a customer to repeat their order three times.

"But this is my special 'Songs for Branch' playlist! You love oldies!" Poppy called back as she lowered the volume of "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder.

"I don't love anything that destroys my ear-" he started, then held up a finger. "Wait. You have a 'Songs for Branch' playlist?" He narrowed his eyes at her "...Why?"

Poppy, for the first time he had known her, actually looked a little sheepish. "Well… I watch you sometimes. Not in a creepy way!" She hastened to assure him as he raised an eyebrow. "But in a, 'What does Branch think of this song' way. And when I see that you like a song, I add it to my playlist!"

He blinked for a few moments, then asked, "How do you know what songs I like?"

"Oh, well, it wasn't easy, but sometimes, when certain songs play, you don't frown as much, and when you really like them, you bob your head a little. One time, you even tapped your foot to the beat! So I made a playlist of those songs, and noticed they were all oldies, so I added a few of my own! What do you think?"

His first instinct was to point out that watching him constantly was definitely creepy and possibly a violation of privacy, but then he realized that he hadn't been as annoyed by the songs playing as he usually was. And another part of him, the one that reacted really weirdly about her saying they were friends, felt like it was suddenly trying to expand.

"Do you like it?" She asked with a small, slightly anxious tilt of her head.

"Just keep it at a reasonable volume." He stated finally, turning back to the register before he said something weird and stupid like, _Why do you care?_ or, _No one's ever made me a playlist,_ or the much more unthinkable, _I love it._

But Poppy, being Poppy, beamed at him as if he had paid her a long, flowery compliment. "Of course! Anything for my friend!"

"Shhh! Someone will hear you!" He glanced around to check his surroundings, and she laughed at him as she bumped his shoulder.

"Okay, Mr. Paranoid."

"Hey, just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean I'm wrong." He pointed a straw at her to emphasize his point, eliciting another bubbly laugh.

"Sure, Branch." She told him, shaking her head in exasperated fondness, and turned to take the next order, missing Branch's subconscious half-smile.

…

He also hated the dance parties.

Didn't matter if it was busy or slow, or whether any of the group was holding hot beverages, when a song Poppy "really, really, really, _really_ loved" (and she assured him that the four 'really's were quite necessary) came on, she would shout, "DANCE PARTY!" at the top of her lungs, and whatever members of the 'Snack Pack' (who even came up with that name?) would drop everything and start moving to the beat.

Needless to say, Branch was not a fan. Sure, a few regulars and customers usually joined in, but it meant that Branch was suddenly the only one doing any work.

He complained about it to Poppy several times, but she always gave him a variation of the same answer.

"Branch, you really need to stop worrying so much and working so hard. Sometimes, you gotta take a second to chill and enjoy yourself and omigosh you know what would be perfect to help you relax is a DANCE P-"

He immediately covered her mouth with both hands. "There will be. No. Dancing. Not while that line is out the door."

Branch watched her look out of the supply closet to where Cooper was taking orders and Guy was running the machines as fast as they both could. She sighed loudly, tickling his hands as he slowly took them away, oddly fighting the urge to blush.

"Fine. But once the line is down to ten people-"

"Five."

"Eight?"

"Done."

"Then it's ON!" Poppy declared with an emphatic fistpump.

With that settled, Branch continued restocking the cups and lids and Poppy went to help on the registers. He had just started setting out the newly washed mugs when Poppy shouted, "We're down to eight! Time to GET HAPPY!"

He jumped as "Happy" by Pharrell started blasting out of the speakers, then sighed heavily as the rest of the staff, plus most of the people in line, starting dancing (some more enthusiastically than others).

As the song came to an end, Poppy attempted a flying air guitar kick that barely missed Branch and instead sent the mug he had just set down crashing to the floor.

"Oh no! No no no no!" Poppy knelt down, hands on her face, staring at the scattered polka-dotted shards. "I didn't see it! I knew I jumped too high, but I didn't realize I was so close to the counter! Oh no no no no."

Branch was shocked to see that Poppy looked practically heartbroken. "It's okay," he started, grabbing the broom. "It's just a mug. We've got plenty."

Gesturing to the eclectic collection didn't lighten Poppy's spirits at all.

"That was my favorite one. It was a gift, and I… I brought it in because it made always me happy, so I thought it'd make other people happy, and it did. I'd give to whoever looked like they were having a bad day, and they always looked a little happier afterwards." She picked up one of the larger pieces. "And now it's just… gone."

Biggie gently helped her up and Cooper softly took the shard from Poppy's hand and gave it to Branch. "It'll be okay, Poppy. We'll get you a new mug." Cooper told her with a side-hug.

"C'mon. I've got some cinnamon scones in the bakery that will make you feel better in no time," Biggie led her back to the bakery while Cooper returned to taking orders, leaving Branch staring at the small piece of ceramic in his hand.

Sighing, he set it on the counter and started sweeping up the rest. Once everything was in the dustpan, he found that he couldn't quite throw it all away. He glanced from the broken mug up to Poppy, who was munching slowly on on a scone, peeked around, then slid the pieces into a bag.

…

A few days later, Poppy was mostly back to her cheerful self, with only a few melancholy looks at the collection of cups every now and then. Branch waited until their shift was over and Cooper and Guy could manage the rest of the lunchtime rush.

"Hey, Poppy," He told her in a low tone, "look, I, um… could you stop by my car for a sec?"

"Sure! What's up?" She asked as she bounced over towards the parking lot. "Is this about Satin and Chenille's Second Week of Spring Brunch?"

"No." He said shortly, getting out his keys.

"Did you change your mind?! Are you coming?! It's going to be so much fun and-" She suddenly stopped. "Is this your car?"

"Yeah. There's something I wanted-"

"It's… vintage. How old is it?"

Branch shrugged. "I dunno. Anyway-"

"Is it old enough to drive itself?" Poppy grinned broadly, ignoring Branch's unamused look. "Do you have to pedal with your feet like the Flintstones? Is it-"

Branch interrupted with the one thing he knew would distract her. "I have a present for you."

As he thought, Poppy immediately abandoned her next joke and squealed loudly. "Eee! You do?! What is it? What is it for? Is it shiny? Does it make noise?"

"Well you certainly do." Branch shook his head a little, then handed her a small package wrapped in newspaper.

"I love presents! All kinds of presents, any reason for presents, like housewarmings, anniversaries, birthdays-" She gasped loudly. "I don't know your birthday! When's your birthday? Is it soon? Should I start planning your gift? What kind of things do you-"

"You will never know." Branch told her, then sighed, already exhausted. "Just open it."

She smiled at him, then ripped open the newspaper excitedly. Once the last shred fell off, Poppy froze.

There, sitting in her palm, was the polka dot mug. The cracks were barely visible, almost perfectly reassembled.

"That's… that's my mug." She said slowly.

"Yeah." He waited for some kind of reaction, but Poppy just stared at it.

"It wasn't that hard. I mean, most of the pieces were pretty big. There were a couple really small ones, but I found them after a while."

He watched her for a few more moments, the silence oddly loud.

"I glued the pieces together with a 100 percent silicone sealant. It's nontoxic and, uh, creates a barrier to liquid transfer through the break, so it won't leak at all, and you can put it in the dishwasher if you want, since it's got a pretty high temperature threshold. You can also microwave it if you need to and - will you please just say something, you're kind of freaking me out."

She carefully set the mug down on the top of the trunk, then grabbed him in a sudden hug.

"Thank you." She told him softly, and he felt heat rush to his cheeks.

"Uh, y-yeah. It wasn't…" He swallowed, then responded, "You're welcome."

She eventually let him go and picked up the mug, smiling gently at it. Branch coughed a little to clear his throat.

"It seemed like you thought it was pretty special, so…"

"It was my mom's."

Branch blinked. That wasn't the answer he was expecting.

"She died when I was a baby, but using her cup always made me feel a little closer to her." Poppy looked up with a small, self-deprecating grin. "Guess that sounds a little silly, huh?"

"No. Not at all." He said with complete sincerity, then after some hesitation, put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She gave him a quiet, meaningful smile. "Thanks."

Whatever kind of moment they were having quickly turned into awkward silence (for Branch, anyway). "So…" he cast around for something to say. "I don't see your car."

"Oh yeah, Suki borrowed it so she can get some of her DJ gear fixed. I'll just take the bus."

Branch scuffed his toe on the ground, then stared at the side of the coffee shop while he mumbled, "Well, I could… I mean, if you're just going to take the… I guess I could drive."

Poppy tilted her head. "Drive where?"

He sighed loudly, then offered, "I could drive you. To your place. If you want."

Her trademark million-watt smile slowly grew. "Really?"

"I mean… unless you don't-"

"I do!"

"Oh. I… okay." He started throwing stuff from the passenger seat to the back. "But no more jokes about my car."

"Five more jokes?"

"One."

"Three?"

He rolled his eyes as he held the door open for her. "Fine. Three jokes."

She jumped in with glee. "Okay. Your- wait, is that an honest-to-goodness cassette player?!"

"Maybe."

"Oh my gosh this is even better than I imagined. Alright, your car is so old, the tires used to be stone wheels!"

"Yikes. That's terrible. You have two left."

"Okay, okay. Your car is so old…"

Branch sighed loudly and tried to ignore the warm feeling growing in his chest.

* * *

"Kintsugi" is a Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with gold, which highlights the damage, rather than disguising it. It's also a philosophy about treating breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, embracing its flaws and imperfections. One interpretation (which inspired me) is "more beautiful for having been broken".


End file.
